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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1900)
THE COURIER. that club women soek to bo understand the Ecienco of the bomo that theirs shall t be ideal homes, where the strife of the world is without and a wealth of lore within, where the gracious manners of the mistress 6hall brine to all who come within the home a message of comfort and good cheer. The talks for the af ternoon, "Tho Halation of the Club Wo man to Household Economics," ''The Poverty of Housekeeping ""Harmony at the Hearth," brought out many excel lent ideas and showed that home inter ests are very dear to the hearts of club women. Dr. Warren Perry wai expected to ppcak to the club on "Foods, Their Chemical Significance and Values,'' but was, on account of business, unable to be present. The club hopes the pleas ure of hearing him soon. Fairbury was very gay during the hol idays. The university students came home, and to help in the merry-making, all brought friends with them, some bringing two and three. So there was fun and frolic for every day and night. it of every club in the state. The time has come into the club movement for women to show what they can do in some such way. L. L R. The North Bend woman's club kept open house on New Year, and their headquarter? resounded with greetings tor the newjear. lheir friends re sponded in large numbers to their invi tations. Tho rooms presented a pretty appearance, with their graceful decora tions of yellow and white, the club col ors. As the guests came from the re ception room, they wore a bhof holly, to which was attached an incomplete sen timent. The rinding of the minus part on one of the opposite sex gave them a passport into the dining room, where a prettily decorated and well filled table awaited them. The ladies 6crved coffee, while the guests served jests. In the auditorium there was mirth and music. Piano solos, a quartet by our young ladies, and Mr. Dowling kindly gave a few selections on a giaphophone. In one corner of the room under our beau tiful motto was a massive punch bowl in a bed of holly, from'which two young members served delicious fruit punch. It is an open question whether it was the re.reshing beverage or the fair and graceful buds who presided that caused the crowd to linger. Judge Strong de livered an able address, in which he paid high tribute to the ladies of the present day, assuring them they were on the right track, with their work well in hand, and bid them Godspeed. As the guests departed tho club women re ceived many assurances of theirsuccess in their efforts towards a social inaugu ration of the New 1 ear, or is it new century? At a called meeting of the Fairburv Woman's club the committee appointed to devise ways and means for estab lishing a public library presented their report and the resolutions offered weie adopted with but little opposition. The club pledges itself to raise during the club year one hundred dollars in money and in addition one hundred volumes of books. It was further rec ommended that until such time as the city can lake and maintiin the library that it he established and supported by subscription. The ruinimum'subscrip tion to be one dollar per year. Another recommendation provided for a board 01 directors four from the club anJ tnree from the community at large whose duty shall be to receive subscriptions, purchase books and take charge of donated books, with power to accept all or receive any that m- its judgment may not be suitable for a library. The club intends to go to work in earnest now to do all possible towards establishing a library in Fairbury. v Tnis plan for starting a library is one that can be worked in any -town where a woman's club exists. I am pleased to call the special attention to At the home of Mrs. Apperson on last Wednesday afternoon another club was organized. Tecumseh Sorosis was in stituted with twenty-five charter mem bers. Mrs. Pollock, president of the city federation was present. Tho club will at once join the General, State and City federations. Officers elected are: Mrs. C. M.Scott, president; Mrs. J. S. Harman, Secretary; Mrs. B. F. West, Treasurer. A fine miscellaneous pro gram is arranged for the remainder of the year. The "Friends in Council" held a very pleasant meeting at the home of Mrs. Hill Shaw. After current events, The modern American writers were assigned one to each member with Mr p. Merri man as leader. The following writers with their best known works were thoroughly discuss ed: James Lane Allen, Kate Douglas Wiggin, Paul Ford, Octave Thanet, Lillian Bell, Hamlin Garland, Richard Harding Davip, Weir Mitchell, Sarah Orne Jewett, Ruth McEnery Stewart, Winston Churchill "and Ne!son Page. Refreshments and social time com pleted the afternoon. Children's Reading. It is said that every age has its trade mark stamped upon it by the years as they pass. Geologists have discovered with precision and classified these trade marks in the ages before man was. The silurian age left its trade-mark in fossil mollusks, the devonian in fishes, the carboniferous in coal plants. It is so in history, architecture, sculpture and painting, language, customs and man ners.. The most lasting mark of our age is the influence and importance which childhood has attained. Children's books and magazines and "children's columns," in the papers, and "children's sermons'" and "children's S indays" are features of the last fifty years. Mrs. Stowe, eeeing the tendency of the age, prophesied serial stories for ths nursery, "We shall," said she. "have charmingly illustrated magazines, 'The Cradle,' 'The Rocking Chair,' 'The First Rattle' and 'The First Tooth.' with successive chapters of Goosy, Goosy Gander, Hickory Dickory Dock and Old Mother Hubbard extending through twelve or twenty-four or forty-eight numbers." We realized jeara ago the truth of her prophecy. Robert Louis Stevenson, Rudyard Kipling, Joel Chandler Harris, Frank Stockton, Hawthorne, Alcott and many others are writing or have written for children. It is well for each child to have a pa per or mazazine addressed to himself and to encourage each child to gather a library of his own. Among the endless number of books, to make a list for which preference should ba given is not an easy task, and the mother who has a good knowledge of literature will be the best judge. The Bible comes first in importance. To bp ignorant of the Bible is to lose tbe virility and beauty of the most an cient and the most enduring literature in human language. We do not know of any methoJ by which children can be instructed in the Bible and made familiar with Its contents that does not involve considerable labor by parents. Teach the child the beautiful passages, the poetry of the psalms, the pleasant stories of tbe lives of the patriarchs. With the mother they can learn the Psalm xxiii., "The Lord is my shep herd," Christ's sermon on the mount, the Lord's prayer, chapter xiv.St. John, "Let not your heart be troubled;" how soothing to earth's weary ones even.to a child. Teach them among the beau tiful passages -in Ecclesiastes the one, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of they youth.' If they do not re member their Creator in youtful days they will forget him always. Longfellow, in bis charming descrip tion of Hiawatha's childhood, has given a vivid picture of childhood's spirit of inquiry : "At the door one summer evening Sat the little Hiawatha; Saw the moon rise from the water, Rippling, rising from the water, Saw the flecks and shadows on it." This will captivate any child, and a little story may be woven from the 'aioon and shadow." A little further on in the poem an appeal is made to the love of flower?, which all children pos sess, and a child may be led on through this love to a delightful knowledge of flowers. Then read him Bryant's "Fringed Gentian," Whittier's "Flowers in Winter." The names of plants may be learned, the different woods, the shape of the leaves and a thousand other captivating things all unconsciously a love of the science of botany will be ac quired and the foundations of the future study laid. In like manner natural history and botany may be studied also. Astron omy, beginning with "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," and carrying it forward until the heights are reached. Then science and beautiful thoughts may be wrought into the fiber of little ones Some one says, "Can this be accomp lished?" Yes, by mothers who think more of child life and development than of minor matters. But what of the mothers whose, time is too full of work? Ihis may be managed by each one becoming interested in his own and his neighbor's children, as the walls of Jerusalem were restored by every man building over against his owe house. A child lives almost wholly in the im agination and the mother and teacher may do much to direct it. As the Greeks lived almost wholly in the imag ination, give the children tales fiom Greek mythology. Good stories make children more noble minded; they beget a love for truth and pride of the right tort. Biog raphy is really better in its results than fiction, as it furnishes possible ideals. Even Shakspere we need not hetitate to introduce to the children. AH children are interested in bird life; read to them Bryant's "Waterfowl," "The Bobolink," Whittier's "Robin." Shilley's wonderful "Skylark" and Rob ert Browning's "O, to be in England when April's There." When there is a strong west wind, read Shelley's "West Wind." When the first dash of snow comes, read Longfellow's "First Snow'-' and Whittier's "Snow Bound." When the brooks begin to babble in the 6pring time, read to them Tennyson's "Brook." The music of Tennyson is entrancing to almost all children. A source of amuse ment, and profit as well, will be derived by changing these poems into prose and making a little story. On rainy dayB be guile the children into reading history. "He sang his way to fame Through childish hearts, men say," And as long as ''Little Boy Blue" is dear to the childish mind, Eugene Fieid will be remembered, and "Perhaps he will seek out the wee ones In the heaven men call 'over there,' And will weave for them verses of childhood More wonderful, tender and rare." (Read by Gertrude M. McDowell of Fairbury, before the mid-wintor meet ing of the N. F. W. C. atState Teachers' Association, Lincoln December, 1899.) ART HISTORY. Outline of Work Prepared by Mrs. F. M. HalL Chairman of he Art Committee of the N. F, V. C (a) Architecture. (b) Sculpture. (c) Painting. A. ANCIENT ART. I. Egyptian art. II. Babylonian and Assyrian art. III. Persian, Phoenican, Palestine and art of Asia Minor. IV. Greek art. V. EtruBcan and Romau art. B. Christian art to the Renaissance. C. Modern art from the Renaissance to the present. I. In Italy. II. In Germany. III. In France. IV. In Holland. V. In Bel gium. VI. In Spain. VII. In Eng land. GENERAL REMARKS. In ancient art architecture and sculp ture predominated. In early Christian art architecture and painting predominated. In modern art painting predominates. Architecture and sculpture take second place. LESSON VIII. FROM ITALIAN RENAISSANCE TO PRESENT. 1. Causes that produced tbe Renais sance, (a) Discovery of America, (b) Invention of printing, (c) Religious ref ormation, (d) Spirit of individual free dom, (e) Revival of classic learning, (f) Greek art. Note the rise of architecture, sculp ture and painting as separate branches of the great art movement. 2. Italian Renaissance. 1st period early Renaissance. 2d period high Renaissance. 3d period late Renaissance. 4th period Modern Italian art. See De Forest's A Short History of Art; Early Renaissance by J. M. Hop pin (city library). Renaissance in Italy, by Symonds (university library). Pool's Index, Lives of Citnabue, Giotto, Angel ica, M. Angelo and others. The COURIER And any One Dollar Club Magazine 150 High School Notes. The Browning Club gave an informal meeting on Friday evening. The labor expended in preparing the program was appreciated by a well filled house. The program was as follows: Selection by the Mandolin club. Ten minutes parliamentary law. Vocal solo Mabel Hildebrand. Recitation Selden House. Piano solo Edith Burlingame. Short play A Sewing Circle. Selection Junior Quartette. Original poem Marian Bell. Piano solo Ina Finch. Society paper Lillian House. Mandolin club. The Hawthorne literary society met on Monday for the purpose of consider ing a chalengo to debate 6ent them by the Browning club. The club decided to accept and the debate will take place very soon. The Photerone society has divided into two clubs; the J. O. C's., and the R. A.L's. These clubs havo a party every two weeks. The next one will be given by the R. A, L'b., at the home of Miss Grace Trigg. On Friday, January fourth, the C. D. S. had an initiation. At a very excit ing point when the candidate was blind folded and enveloped in gunnysack :A J